Future marketing now

27 Aug Future marketing now

Let’s stop playing

In recent years, we have seen CMO’s (Chief Marketing Officers) emerge in and around the boardrooms but is this just a fad or are companies and corporates starting to connect with the world? Let’s stop playing “marketing-marketing” or “brand-brand” and get serious.

If I was a CEO of a company that recognised that clients are actually found in markets, and markets connect through brand and, whoops, the world has moved on since last year’s golf day, this is what I’d ask of my CMO:

Create a brand

Understand what our brand represents to our market and start aligning this business – everything in our business – to what our brand represents. Why? Long story, but go and ask McDonalds, Nike and a couple of others. Take us from an internal focus to a customer-centric business. And if IT, Finance or Operations gets in your way, kill them or align them!

Do that thing

“Make sure that this company is not only ahead of the game but beyond the curve. This means: leave the brochures and the golf day to your Marketing Assistant. Yes, I know it’s fun but you focus on getting us to the cutting edge of branding, communications and marketing – I hear a couple of things have changed. They tell me that one can measure ROI these days. Do that thing!”

Forget customer service

“I don’t want to hear about customer service anymore. I want our clients to have memorable experiences. I want them to be our greatest marketing viral campaign. Figure what needs to happen.”

Stop playing

“If I ever hear that you’ve asked family, friends, cousins or colleagues what they think of our new campaign, you’re fired. I’m only interested in what they think – they being our clients and the market. Find out please so I can sign the campaign off for you. Jeez, I don’t buy widgets – so how would I know whether the campaign connects!!?”

Sit here

“And move into the office next to me please… I need to get closer to the market if I’m to drive this business into the future…”

So yep, the role of the CMO is very relevant.But is it more fun just to play? And are we prepared?